ATV Purchase Advice??

[irishwalleye]

Looking to buy an ATV in the near future. Mostly for ice fishing and riding around the farm.

New or used?

4WD or 2WD?

any particular manufacturer better?

engine size?

Is there a better time of the year to purchase new?

Any must-have accessories?

Any advice would be helpful

thanks

[MuskieJunkie]

New is going to be expensive, but used is a real gamble. It depends on the owner but a lot of the used ones out there have really been used hard and there is a reason they are selling them.

I would say 4x4.

As far as brands, you could debate that forever.

[Sutty]

What he said :-)

I'll also add you may want to consider weight. When I bought mine (Polaris sportsman 500 h.o.) It was the biggest they made now they have what about an 800 or so. So if you have thoughts of moving around a wheel house you may want to get a bigger one. Just for a little riding and maybe dragging a portable you could go smaller. I would guess mine weighs around 450 to 550 lbs if you go down to a 400 I am sure they are quite a bit lighter or go bigger and I am sure they go quite a bit heavier.

[SomethingFishy*]

A sportsman 500 dry weight is around 715 lbs.

This is a great time of year to buy as you can usually find some good deal closeouts.

I personally would buy NEW if the budget allows. Here is what I would look for.

EFI

Independent Rear Suspension

400 CC or larger

Winch

Test drive whatever interests you, and buy what suits you best. The Brand question is loaded and you could get a lot of nutjob mines better than yours question.

I currenty own 2 06 Polaris 500's, I have been lookig at purchasing a Yamaha Grizzly 700 with power steering, they are offering a 2 year factory warranty on new 07's and a good deal on a winch. Honda typically holds its value better and is a very reliable workhorse. I have never ridden a Cat, Kawi, or Suzuki.

Check out the powersports show this weekend (Nov 9-11th) at the min neapolis convention center and most of the new machines should be viewable.

[Blaze]

Irish - I'd agree with most all of what's said above. A couple more things to add:

Engine Size:

I've heard many guys say they wish they had MORE power, but never someone who said they wish they had LESS power. The price difference really isn't much (KQ450 vs KQ700 = $600 last time I checked), and resale *should be* better with the larger cc. One exception I can think of is Sportsman 500s - people want an arm and a leg for their 5+ yr old machines it seems.

Weight:

If ice fishing is a primary use, weight is a significant factor. I know a couple guys who have dumped their wheelers through the ice - it's a scary deal. Here are some specs from powersportsnetworkDOTcom on some very popular big bore ATVS:

Polaris Sportsman 700 EFI......748lbs

Can-Am Outlander 650 EFI.....649lbs

Yamaha Grizzly 700 EFI.........602lbs

Suzuki KingQuad 700 EFI.......602lbs

Honda Rincon 680 EFI...........600lbs

Polaris is WAY heavier than the competition - I wish that wasn't the case. Added weight is nice for plowing and farm work, but not a desired feature on the ice for me!

Good luck on your purchase and let us know what you decide!

[Kallista]

I dunno if this helps, maybe you all know it already, but you can get a AC 250, for 2,500... 07, i know they don't go 65 plus miles a hour and they are small, but they go 35, and great for trails, and nice rides in the woods, i think if you go fast you miss a lot of things you might see, so for a putting around Quad.. i think its good.. I don't care what kind it is , lol as long as i can afford it and it runs...

[Jaypo]

I agree with Kallista. I was looking at various brands and sizes and ended up buying a Kodiak 450 cc. Samll enough to be nimble on the trails, but powerful enough for my recreational uses. If you want to fly along the trails, go bigger. I ride with my 7 or 5 y.o. and 50 mph is fast enough.

Rode my brothers sportsman 500 again this weekend. Awesome in the muck and hard trail riding, but much heavier for light riding with the kids. Dad has a 250cc Honda and a 250cc Suzuki. They seem like little toys, but they stay with us on light riding.

Don't read the hype from other whose use is different than yours. Buy what fits your use.

[Roofer]

All good points here. It always depends on the rider, you, that will make the decision.

Personally I would go 500 or bigger, efi doesn't matter, weight doesn't matter. If you are worried about an extra 100 lbs. on the ice, the ice isn't safe. You need to just try them out and see what feels nice. There is no sense taking our word for what you are going to drive. Take our comments for what it's worth and try them yourself. You will be much happier.

I love my machine also, but I'm not going to pressure it on someone else if it doesn't fit their riding style.

I wonder where the big honda crowd is. A question like this normally gets bombarded with short reply's that just say "Honda". LOL

[Augusta]

Honda

[Kodiak]

go get a midsize wheeler, buy new, sell high when you outgrow it.

honda 400 or 500

yamaha 400 or 450

stay away from cats and polaris..more problems than you want to deal with.

[MIKE IN lINO III]

I have two 03' yamaha's 400's. One is 4 x 4 the other is 4 x 2 manual. I prefer the manual as it seems quite a bit lighter and faster. I use mine for ice fishing and putzing around the yard. Would I like to get a bigger one....? Sure. Do I need a bigger one.... NO.

Just my $.02.

Mike

[castmaster]

Why not get the best of both worlds, get a machine that can switch from 2wd to 4wd. I love that feature on my Honda Foreman, and find I spend much more time in 2wd than 4wd, but the 4wd has saved me more than once!

[dairyman]

I've got a 400 polaris and have used them to pull 8 ft logs out of the woods. So they have enough power for me

[knoppers]

I think price is a non issue, since they still are very reasonable. if your going to use this for ice fishing, the biggest issue is the tires. my stock tires for my machine were absolutly worthless in snow over 6 inches deep. I put on some snow tires, problem fixed. not only do these tires get through snow, they get through everything I have put to them. one issue with tires is cost. I bought 27 inch ITP 589's, with aluminum rims, 700 bucks, and that was 5 years ago. but for ice fishing, it was a must.

[Bob Horn]

I would get a machine with the most power you can buy. Over the years you will find more than one occasion to use it. I have used the Polaris 500ho and the 800EFI. Definitely a power difference that go without saying. If you can get a set of tracks you can go anywhere!!! I would get a minimum 500 hp.

[castmaster]

"one issue with tires is cost. "

Another issue with tires is ride. I have more than a couple friends who had to get the 589's or a couple who run the outlaws. Might be nice tires for muddin or deeper snow, but you'll suffer when it comes to trail riding!! If your gonna go with bigger more aggressive tires I'd highly recommend buying a new set of rims as well, put the new tires on the new rims and keep your old stock set for trail riding.

[SomethingFishy*]

One nice thing about the New Polaris 500 or better and the Can am is that they actually come with a good stock tire. I have not found anything that I was not able to do with my Polaris PXT tires yet.

[jltimm]

OK guys, get ready, I'm gonna say something good about polaris...... They do put good tires on compared to almost all the other brands like Suzuki, Yamaha, and Honda.Stock tires on the big three are like tubes with tread!

[Jaypo]

Yeah. My Kodiak stock tires look like they have less tread than my sons bicycle...

[reelemin]

Susuki King Quad 700 !!!!!!!!!!! I traded in my 98' 300 quad, a fabulous machine still running great, just wanted something to get me through deeper snow, the 98' really held its value and I got a great price for it. Purchased an 07' King Quad 700 and LOVE it. Use it at the cabin for all kinds of chores, a bit of trail riding - but can't wait to get it out on the ice!!! To many great options to mention, but check out them out, Susuki makes great machines but they do need to put better stock tires on them.

[Dave S]

the reason the Big 4 put on tubes with tread (I like that one) is because they need to maintain their 600 lb limit (or within a couple pounds) in order to avoid higher tarrifs when they come into the country. Not to mention, I think it would be safe to say that most people add after market tires anyhow.

I opted for a set of Swamp Fox's on my Rincon. The ride wasn't sacrificed, but the IRS suspension helps out there.

[SomethingFishy*]

My thoughts are if they are going to put the most generic tires that you can get on a machine than they should allow you to opt out of the tires and save the money. I would rather buy aftermarket right off the bat then get stuck with a set of dunflops. Most of the dealers I have talked to said they won't let you trade them up as they know they will never be able to sell them.

[Dave S]

I agree 100%.

[jtm]

dunflopps, I like that, those are the same crappy tires I'm stuck with